26 February 2022
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Irish occupational health provider, Cognate Health officially opened its new state-of-the-art Cork clinic on Friday, allowing for the expansion of further services to support employees in its client companies. Opened by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin, the new state-of-the-art sustainably led clinic in Ballintemple will drive change in occupational health delivery through digitalisation and international OH clinical expertise with new services including chief medical officer consultancy, aviation and executive medicals and a dedicated training Academy to be provided, along with health assessments and active case management for clients. Further expansion and new services in 2022 will enable Cognate Health to support over 180,000 employees in its client companies.
Officially opening the new state-of-the-art clinic in his home area of Ballintemple, Cork for Cognate Health is An Taoiseach Micheál Martin with (l-r) Noel Creedon, Chairman of Cognate Health; Paula Cogan, CEO of Cognate Health; and Prof John Gallagher, founder and Chief Medical Officer of Cognate Health.
Picture: Michael O’Sullivan /OSM PHOTO
The €400,000 fit-for-purpose renovation at the 6200-square-foot facility on the Boreenmanna Road, Ballintemple in Cork city is strategically located to support the rapidly expanding business sector. The new clinic is part of larger investment by Cognate Health in the past 12 months across all aspects of the business, with new hires and the introduction of wellbeing and retention programmes, IT and infrastructure, and training and development opportunities. Cognate Health’s partners include Laya Healthcare, Spectrum Health and Mater Private, and clients include over 2,000 companies from the largest FDIs to innovative start-ups.
Speaking at the official opening, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “I want to congratulate Cognate Health on its new clinic. Strong occupational health services are part of the foundation of an economy that supports both employers and employees, and I’m delighted to see Cognate Health grow and innovate to extend their services to even more businesses.”
Cognate Health’s national network of occupational health physicians is the largest in the country, with specialist expertise across sectors including construction, ICT, pharmaceutical, healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, finance, public sector, and retail. Cognate Health has just launched a new aviation medical service, which will ensure pilots and aviation staff are ready as the air travel industry grows, and a mobile occupational health service that will operate across Munster, building on its in-clinic and remote services.
Cognate CEO, Paula Cogan (who is also President of Cork Chamber of Commerce) added: “At Cognate Health, we pride ourselves in providing the most progressive services available such as chief medical officer consultancy to support employers as they plan for a changing work environment, and a range of health and wellbeing services. We want to offer the most fit-for-purpose OH services in Ireland that reflect the changing work environment, and we are delighted our new clinic will enable us to do this. As we further grow our offering, we can meet the ever-increasing needs of employers across the country to ensure they are compliant in all aspects of employee health and safety legislation. Investment in IT systems ensures we can offer consultations both face-to-face and remotely. Our OH clinicians have international expertise and can provide consultations in eight languages for the diverse Irish business community.”
She continued: “We were also focused on making this renovation as sustainable as possible and have reused up to 70% of the existing fixtures and fittings, making the facility energy efficient and have plans for a bio-diversity garden. As we build on our success to date with this new clinic, it is a pleasure to welcome An Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and to speak to him about the importance of occupational health for both the economy and the wider healthcare system.”
Martin Corkery, Enterprise Ireland’s Regional Director for the South and South East Regions, commented: “It is exciting to see this highly innovative company go from strength to strength with the opening of its new state-of-the-art clinic in Cork that will facilitate the expansion of further services for its client base. Cognate Health is a leader in the Occupational Health sector, providing employers and employees with cutting-edge solutions that address the needs, challenges and opportunities presented by the new world of work. Enterprise Ireland looks forward to continuing to work with Cognate Health as it increases scale and looks to expand into global markets.”
